With his charismatic presence and enormous talent, the aura of Sir Vivian Richards will forever be remembered in every team he has played for.
He took to the field like an emperor, immediately striking fear into the hearts of his opponents. Brandishing his bat like a destructive weapon and head held high wearing his maroon cap rather than a helmet, for that would have been an indication of fear to be exploited by a bowling attack; no stage effects could have enhanced his forceful presence.
Nobody before or since has batted like Richards either, no batsman has dominated or proclaimed such a message as Richards did when he hit the ball. He was a complete batsman; he had all the power and aggressive intent which was matched by his untouchable state of mind while he was at the crease.
If statistics alone were to decide his overall greatness in the game then he would have indeed been surpassed by the Bradman’s and Tendulkar’s of this world, although an average in Test’s of over 50 and over 200 First Class wickets isn’t too shabby. Stats alone, however can be misleading when viewed in isolation, Richards true greatness comes from what he did with his power and presence.
Richards made his Test debut in 1974 against India. In the second test of the series he blasted an unbeaten 192 as the West Indies won the series 3-2 and announced their emergence as a major force in the world of cricket.
Batting at No.3 he was the figurehead of Clive Lloyd’s West Indies side in the late 70’s and early 80’s and took the team from the part time ‘Calypso cricketers’ to world domination of both Test and ODI cricket. No player in world cricket held such an importance in their respective teams like Richards. With or without Bradman, the Australia side he played in would have remained dominant with the players around him, the current Indian side would remain a force in world cricket without Sachin Tendulkar, but the West Indian team of the early 80’s was most defiantly held aloft by the overall aura of Richards. No single player has enhanced the team they have played in like he did, and this is not just evident in the West Indies side.
He did just the same for the Combined Islands, leading them to success in the Shell Shield in 1980. The Combined Islands had only been given first class status ten years earlier and the outer Islands were very much the minnows of domestic tournaments in the West Indies, but after Viv had left his mark, they were the dominant force in the Caribbean.
The same applied for Richards home island of Antigua. Alongside the much feared fast bowler Andy Roberts, Richards put his native island on the map. The island was a remote place after the abolishment of the sugarcane plantations in the 1950’s, and was then transformed into a popular tourist destination and Test venue by 1981.
By the late 80’s Richards had took over from Clive Lloyd as West Indies captain and won 27 of 50 tests while in charge of the team, losing only 8. While captaining the side Richards scored the fastest ever test century, which came from just 56 balls against England in 1986. This kind of destructive batting saw Richards voted the greatest one-day batsman of all time and third in the test format by Wisden only behind Bradman and Tendulkar. Wisden also awarded Richard 1st and 2nd place for the greatest ODI innings of all time for his scores of 189* and 134* both coming against England.
At the age of 38, most players would consider putting their feet up and reflecting on their career. However, this was just the beginning of a brand new chapter in the career of Richards. In 1990 he signed up for perhaps the greatest challenge of all, turning Glamorgan from the joke of county cricket, to Sunday League champions. In his final competitive season in 1993, Richards had done it again. And it was only fitting that Viv himself seen the team home in the final game of the season to ensure their success. It had taken only three years for the great man to leave his mark on the Welsh county who have never since been labelled a joke or failure.
It would be an overstatement to suggest that Viv Richards empowered all people of the Caribbean islands, but his emphatic message he delivered through the power of cricket gave those who followed the sport in his homeland a sense of pride and importance which they had never felt before.
It is because of this, and the way that single handed, he elevated the profile of his sport, which makes Sir Vivian Richards the greatest sportsman of all time.
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